Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

While I was on vacation for the holiday, I didn’t simply spend my time sipping egg nog.  Nope, I put my time to much better use. I slipped into the Cleveland Browns’ practice facility to see if I could find a stray playbook, or some other item that might give the Steelers an advantage in their final regular season game on Sunday.

We all know that beating the Browns will guarantee the Steelers the #2 seed in the AFC.  So I wanted to do my part to help bring that about.  I’ve learned that even the Cleveland Browns can’t be taken for granted.

While I was snooping around the Browns’ facility, I happened to notice something hanging on the wall in the Browns’ locker room.  It was a poem that had been written by the Browns themselves.  It gives insight into how the Browns view their rivalry with the Steelers.  I thought that it was worth sharing with Steeler Nation.  So here it is.

We Can’t Beat Them
(By the Cleveland Browns)

We, the Browns’ veterans
from over the years.
Leave these words for the current Browns,
though they’re soaked in tears.

Try as you might,
and we’re sure that you will.
You cannot defeat
The Men of Steel.

We could not beat them
at Three Rivers.
The thought of that place
gives us the shivers.

We could not beat
the mighty Steel Curtain.
Though we tried our best
defeat was certain.

We could not beat
the one called Greene.
We were scared of him,
he was so darn mean!

We could not stop
Bradshaw to Swann.
Those guys were awesome!
We’re glad they’re gone!

We could not beat
the one called “Bus”.
He ran through our “D”.
He was stronger than us

We can’t beat them
at Heinz Field.
Those Terrible Towel wavers
make all foes yield.

We can’t beat
the one called “Ward”.
If he’s a receiver
why does he hit so hard?

We can’t beat Troy
with his flowing hair.
Or James Harrison
and his icy stare.

We can’t stop
number 17.
He’s the fastest receiver
we’ve ever seen.

And what are we supposed
to do with Big Ben?
In or out of the pocket
he’s impossible to defend.

How do we stop
their black and gold might?
Perhaps garlic and holy water?
Or Kryptonite?

We can’t even beat them
on our home turf.
If we can’t beat them here
Can we beat them anywhere on Earth?

We can’t beat them
here nor there.
We can’t beat them
anywhere.

They have better colors.
They play in a better town.
They win Super Bowls
while knocking us around.

We don’t mean to depress you
with these words of gloom.
But facing the Steelers
is a sure path to doom.

But give it your best shot,
and you’ll learn why we feel
that we cannot beat
those Men of Steel.

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I am on vacation enjoying the holidays with family and friends.  I hope you’re all doing the same.

If you wish to read about the Steelers’ victory over the Carolina Panthers, click here.

Have a very happy holiday!

Go Steelers!!!!!

I learned long ago that in the NFL anybody can beat anybody on any given Sunday.  You just never know what will happen.

Last year, we learned that without Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu in the lineup, the Steelers were capable of losing to some of the worst teams in the NFL.  They went through an embarrassing 5-game losing streak just to prove the point.

With that in mind, it’s probably a good idea to not take the Carolina Panthers for granted.  After all, the Steelers will be without Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith as they take on one of the worst teams in the NFL.  Sound familiar?

But despite last year’s losing streak against bad teams, the Steelers couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than the Carolina Panthers.

If the NFL Draft were to be held today, the 2-12 Carolina Panthers would be picking first.  That’s right, they are the worst team in the entire NFL.

The Panthers have the 32nd ranked offense in the NFL (that’s last, for those who aren’t sure).  They also have the 32nd ranked passing offense.

Panthers’ rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen has a 59.1 quarterback rating, and he passes for a mere 118.5 yards per game.  He’s thrown 7 interceptions, while throwing only 2 touchdown passes.  Moreover, he’s been sacked 26 times.

Those are not scary numbers.  Even without Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, those are not scary numbers.

Of course, the Panthers are not completely toothless.  Their defense is ranked #12 in the NFL, and running back Jonathan Stewart has rushed for 460 yards in his last 4 games.

But despite that, the Steelers should still win this game.  I predict a 31-10 final score.

If the Steelers are able to defeat the Panthers and their final opponent, the Cleveland Browns (5-9), then they will lock up the #2 seed in the AFC, regardless of what the Baltimore Ravens do in their remaining games.

So as the Steelers try to win their final two games and solidify their playoff seeding, the Carolina Panther may be just what the doctor ordered.

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Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely hate writing about Steelers’ losses.   Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!  And after watching the Steelers lose 22-17 to the NY Jets, I don’t feel like typing a post-game article.  Instead, I feel like throwing my computer out the window.  I’m just being honest.  But I can’t only report on Steelers victories.  So write I must.

To lighten my mood, I’m going to start with the positives that I saw in the game.

Overall, the Steelers played well except for a few plays.  Unfortunately, those plays proved to be costly.

The Good

• Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 100 yards.  We haven’t seen him do that for a while, so that was definitely good to see.  Not only did he rush for 100 yards, but he also averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

• As demonstrated by Mendenhall’s performance, the offensive line played pretty well.  Yeah, they allowed Jason Taylor to come in untouched on that safety, but other than that, they looked pretty good.

• Mike Wallace also played well.  He had 102 yards receiving, and should have had a touchdown.  Unfortunately, the referees seemed to have reached an agreement to not make any pass interference calls on the Jets.

• Young Emmanuel Sanders had the best game of his career so far.  He had 7 catches and actually led the team in receptions (Okay, he was tied with Mike Wallace.  But he still did well).  Way to go, Rookie!

• Shawn Suisham continues to hold perfection in a death grip.  I’m hoping he can complete the season without a single miss.   Wouldn’t that be a great story?

• Statistically, the Steelers also put up a nice performance.  They generated 100 more yards of offense than the Jets.  Ben threw for more yards than Sanchez.  The team ran for more yards than the Jets.  They had a greater time of possession than the Jets.  They were more effective in the red zone than the Jets.  But unfortunately, statistics don’t win games.  And the Steelers didn’t win this one.

So lets look at what went wrong.

The Bad

• The most obvious problem was that the Steelers allowed the Jets to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown.  Those seven points made a huge difference in the game.

• The second key problems was the safety.  Many blamed Bruce Arians for calling a bad play.  I don’t.  I blame the blockers.  Jason Taylor came in untouched.  Somebody obviously blew their assignment.  Were it not for that safety, the Steelers could have called on Shaun Suisham to kick a game-tying field goal late in the game, rather than being forced to go for a touchdown.

• Matt Spaeth had a few critical drops as well.  He only caught 3 of the 8 passes that were thrown to him, and he had 3 bad drops early in the game.  Get well soon, Heath.

• Big Ben didn’t have a great game either.  He completed only 23 of 44 pass attempts, and was sacked 3 times.  My question is why did Ben throw the ball 44 times while only giving it to Rashard Mendenhall 17 times?  Wasn’t Mendenhall averaging 5.9 yards per carry?  Hmmmmmm.

• And finally, the referees didn’t do the Steelers any favors.  There were a few pass interference calls that weren’t called.  One on Emmanuel Sanders was especially blatant.

So the Steelers are now 10-4, and have the same win-loss record as the Baltimore Ravens.  The Steelers still have an advantage over the Ravens in the first tie-breaker, so technically they’re ahead of the Ravens.  But I felt much better when our record was better than theirs.

Now the Steelers have a short week before they have to face the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.  I usually don’t like Thursday games.  But in this case, I don’t want to wait until Sunday to get the bad taste of the Jets game out of my mouth.  Yuck!

Here we go Steelers, here we go!

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By Alfonzo Washington, Jr.

Here is an urgent update coming from air traffic control for the Steeler Nation.

WARNING:  There will be no takeoffs this weekend.  No, we’re not referencing Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), we’re talking about the big Ketchup Bottle (Heinz Field).  The Steelers will ground the NY Jets on Sunday.  Expect a lot of turbulence (the Steeler pass rush), rough landings (Sanchez on his behind) and multiple delayed flights (sacks & tackles for loss).  The result will be many red eyes (on the crying Jets fans & players).

What happened to the mighty New York Jets?  They have gone from #1 in most NFL Power Rankings, to a team in desperate need of a win.  They’re coming off of back-to-back losses, and are struggling for their playoff lives.  Rest assured the BLACK– N– GOLD will not offer a remedy for their ailments this weekend.

While many national sportswriters have been asking “What’s wrong with the mighty Jets?”, I’m asking a different question.  My question is “What’s wrong with the sportswriters?”

The sportswriters and most “experts” propped the Jets up as a powerhouse team that was an early favorite to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.  They were featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks, and all they seemed to talk about during the show was that the Jets were Super Bowl bound.

Everyone painted a picture of the Jets as a powerful F-15.

But when you actually break down the film, you’ll quickly realize that the Jets are an over-rated team.  They’re not an F-15.  They’re more like a crop duster.

So how did the Jets fool so many?  How was it that just two weeks ago they were tied for the best record in the NFL?

Let’s take a look at how the Jets’ season has unfolded.

The Jets have benefited from multiple close call wins versus sub-par teams.  These wins have made Gang Green look mightier than they really are.

Week 6:  Jets 24 Broncos 20

Turning Point: A 46 yard pass interference call on 4^th down allowed the Jets to setup a go ahead touchdown in the last 2 minutes.

Week 9:  Jets 23 Lions 20 Overtime

Turning Point:  Lion QB Matthew Stafford gets hurt with 9 minutes to go in the game allowing the Jets to overcome a 10 point deficit and win on a field goal in overtime.

Week 10:  Jets 26 Browns 20 Overtime

Turning Point:  In overtime, Browns WR Chansi Stuckey fumbles after a first down at the NYJ 36 yard line and within field goal range.  This allows the Jets to win three possessions later with 24 seconds left on a 37 yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.

Week 11:  Jets 30 Texans 27

Turning Point:  24 seconds left in the game and the ball at the Houston 48 yard line (Jets with no timeouts left and down by 4).  The Texans allow a 42 yard pass play down the sideline to Braylon Edwards to the Houston 6.  This setup a 6 yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 6 seconds left.

The reality is that 4 critical plays saved the Jets

1)     4^th down pass interference call versus Broncos

2)     4^th quarter injury to Lions QB Stafford

3)     Browns fumble in OT

4)     Titans not defending the sideline with 24 seconds to go

Without these four plays the Jets are a team with a 5 – 8 record.  We should not underestimate the Jets, but they are not a team to be feared as the media paints them.

As I stated earlier “The Steelers will ground the NY Jets on Sunday.”  It will be proven that the Jets are who we thought they were.

The Jets aren’t up to the task of beating the Steelers.  But if you have any crops that need to be dusted, I know just the team for the job.

Today’s featured item:

Every Steelers fan (particularly those who don’t live in western Pennsylvania) needs to mark their territory.  After all, when opposing fans enter your home or work space, they need to know that they’re in Steelers country.  And what better way to announce it than with this Steelers country banner?

This 8 foot banner will make it clear to all who enter your abode that they are in Steelers country.  So whether you live in Pittsburgh, or Baltimore, or Dallas, or LA, or Paris, get your banner.  Because let’s face it, the entire Earth is Steelers country.

To order, simply click on the buy now button above.  Don’t delay.  Order now!  There’s still time to get your banner before the holidays.

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